Marjorie Page 26

  CHAPTER XXVI

  THE BUSINESS BEGINS

  With toil we set up the front of our stockade and a portion of the sidesof the parallelogram. It was all loopholed for our musketry, and wasfirm and strong, being carefully stiffened behind by cross beams andshored up with buttresses of big logs in a manner that, if notthoroughly workmanlike, was at least satisfactory from the point ofstrength, which was just then our main consideration. Our palisade wasabout double the height of a man, and in the centres, both front andback, there was a gate, that was held in its place when shut by heavybars of wood which fitted into holes cut to receive them.

  Ere set of sun we had our outworks completed, and found ourselves thepossessors of a very creditable stockade, which under ordinaryconditions ought, if properly manned and well supplied with ammunition,to resist the attack of a very much greater number than the defendingparty. It was still in our mind to run out a palisade that shouldconnect our stronghold with the place where the skiff lay, but it wastoo late, and we were now too exhausted to think of that, for we hadworked at our task ever since we had got the alarm, and it was reallyimpossible for us to do more in that work.

  But before we rested we conveyed from our boat all our stores and allour arms and ammunition--of which latter, indeed, we had no greatquantity, a matter which we had not heeded before, but which now gave usgreat trouble. We brought in abundance of water, and we had ampleprovisions, which the island itself had in chief part offered to us, sothat we could hold our own very well for a time in case it came to asiege. Our hope, however, was that we might be able to prevent thepirates from effecting a landing at all.

  When we went to seek rest for the night we took care to set good guardand to keep strict watch, for a night attack was possible, if it was notvery likely.

  Though we were all very tired, both bodily and mentally, by reason ofthe labour of our hands and the strain upon our minds, I do not thinkthat any of us found sleep very easy to come at first. I only know thatI lay on my back and stared up at the stars--for the night was too hotto sleep under cover--for long enough. At last I fell asleep, andthrough sleep into a fitful feverish dream, which chopped and changedfrom one place and subject to another; but at last it settled down intoone decided dream--and that was a good dream, for it was a dream ofMarjorie. It seemed that I was walking with her along the downs beyondSendennis, not far from that place where Lancelot found me blubbering inyears gone by, and that I was telling her that I loved her, and that shelet me hold her hand while I told her, which showed that she was notaverse to my tale, and that when I had done she turned and looked mefull in the face, and there was love--love for me--in her eyes.

  Then I awoke suddenly and found it was full day, and that Marjorie wasbending over me. For the moment I did not recollect where I was, andstared in surprise at the great wooden paling by which we weresurrounded. Then recollection of the whole situation came back to me ina flash, and I leapt to my feet.

  All around me the men were making preparations for the morning meal, orwere engaged in looking to their weapons, testing the sharpness of acutlass or seeing to the priming of a matchlock. The big door of thestronghold was open, and through it I could see the white beach and thesea-edge, where Lancelot stood scanning the horizon with the spy-glass.The sun was very bright, and I could hear the parrots screaming away inthe woods behind us.

  'Come outside, Ralph,' said Marjorie. 'I want to speak with you.'

  We went out together through the gate into the open, and walked slowly alittle way in the direction of the sea. Both of us looked, naturallyenough, to that island where our enemies lay. Presently we halted andstood in silence a few minutes, and then Marjorie spoke.

  'Ralph,' she said quietly, 'you are my friend, I believe.'

  I had it in my heart to cry wild words to her; to tell her again that Iloved her then and for ever, but though the words tingled on my lipsthey never took life and sound. For Marjorie was looking at me sosteadfastly and sadly with a strange gravity in the angel-blue of hereyes that I could not speak what she might not wish to hear. So I simplynodded my head and held out my hand and caught hers and clasped itclose.

  'Ralph,' she said again. 'We fight for the right, but right is notalways might, and our enemies may overpower us. If they do--' here Ithought she paled a little, but her voice was as firm as ever--'if theydo, I want you to promise me one promise.'

  I suppose the look in my face assured her that there was nothing shecould ask of me that I would not obey, for she went on without waitingfor me to speak:

  'I have the right to ask you because of some words you once said to me,words which I remember. If the worst comes you must kill me. Hush'--forI gave a groan as she spoke.

  'That must be. I have heard enough to know that I must not live if ourenemies triumph. If I were alone I should kill myself; if you were nothere I should have to ask Lancelot, but you are here and I would ratherit happened by your hand.'

  It was strange to stand on that quiet shore by that quiet sea and lookinto that beautiful face and listen to that beautiful voice and hear itutter such words. But my heart thrilled with a wild pride at her prayer.

  'I will do your bidding,' I said, and she answered 'I thank you.' Wemight have been talking of nothing in particular so even were our voicesand so simple was our speech. I pressed her hand and let it go. Then,swiftly, she came a little nearer and took my face in her dear handsand kissed me on the forehead, and there are no words in the world sweetenough or sacred enough to interpret my thoughts in that moment. Thenshe moved away and made to go towards Lancelot, but even as she did so Isaw him turn and run towards us along the beach. As soon as he joined ushe bade Marjorie go to our hut and blow the horn to bring our peopletogether. After that she was to wait in her own shelter till he came forher. She obeyed him unquestioningly, as she always did in those days ofdanger, and for a moment Lancelot and I were alone.

  'Here they come,' he said very tranquilly. 'See for yourself.' And hehanded the spy-glass to me.

  As I put it to my eye he added: 'I can't understand where they get theirrig from.'

  Neither could I. As I looked through the glass I could see that twoboats were coming slowly towards us, and that each boat was full of men.It was surprising enough to see them coming in boats, but it was notthat which had chiefly surprised either Lancelot or me. Our wonder wascaused by the fact that all the men in the boats were clad in scarletcoats, scarlet coats that looked very bright and clean and new.

  'Can these be our men at all?' I asked of Lancelot in amazement. I couldnot for the life of me conceive what other men they could be, but thesight of all those scarlet coats filled me with astonishment.

  Lancelot took the spy-glass from me again without replying, and lookedlong and patiently at the approaching boats.

  'Yes,' he said at last, 'they are our men sure enough, for I see theface of Jensen among them. But how on earth has he contrived to deck outall his gang of rascals in the likeness of soldiers?' He paused for amoment; then added thoughtfully: ''Tis our Providence that the RoyalChristopher lost her cannon. Yonder stronghold would be no better thanso much pasteboard against a couple of the ship's guns.'

  We had no time for further converse. The sound of the horn had ralliedour party, and soon the whole of our men were gathered about us, staringover the sea at those two moving blots of scarlet. I cast an anxiousglance at the face of each man of our little party, and when I hadfinished I did not feel anxious any more. I could see by the face ofevery man that he meant to fight and to fight his best.

  Lancelot lost no time in getting the men into order and in arrangingexactly what was to be done. It was curious, perhaps, although I didnot think it curious then, that these men should have accepted sounquestioningly Lancelot's command over them. But they were oldsoldiers, who had promised to obey Captain Amber, and he had himselfdevolved his command upon Lancelot. And so, until Lancelot went starkstaring mad, which he was not in the least likely to do, they wereperfectly prepared to obey him.

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nbsp; I should not be adhering to the spirit of truthfulness which I haveobserved in setting down these my early experiences if I did not confessthat I faced the fact of coming conflict with very mingled emotions.This was the very first time that I had ever seen human beings aboutto close in bloody strife. Here I found myself standing up with armsin my hands, ready to take away the life of a fellow-creature--to takeaway the lives of several fellow-creatures, if needs must. Moreover, Iknew very well that there were plenty of chances of my getting knockedon the head in this my first scrimmage, and I trembled a littleinwardly--though not, as I believe, outwardly--at the thought of mypromise to Marjorie. And yet even with that thought a new courage cameinto my heart. For I immediately resolved that, come what might, I wouldendeavour to carry myself in such a manner as Marjorie would have mecarry myself, namely, as an honest man should, fighting to the best ofhis ability for what he believed to be the right cause, and not makingtoo much of a fuss about it. And that resolve nerved me better than adram of spirits would have done, and I set aside the flask from which Ihad been on the point to help myself.

  I do not know if Lancelot felt like that in any degree, and I neverpresumed to question him on the point afterwards, as there are sometopics upon which gentlemen cannot approach each other, however greatthe degree of intimacy may be between them. But he certainly carriedhimself as composedly as if we were standing in a ball-room before thedancing began. It is true that he had been brought up to understand themilitary life and the use of arms, and he had seen a battle fought inthe Low Countries, and had fought a duel himself in France with someuncivil fellow. He never looked handsomer, brighter, more gallant thanthen, and his faded sea-clothes became him as well as the richest galasuit or finest uniform that courtier or soldier ever wore. He had anexquisite neatness of his person ever, and had contrived every day uponthat island to shave himself, so that while most of his fellows borebristling beards, and my own chin was as raspy as a hedgehog, he mighthave presented himself at the Court of St. James's, so spruce was hisappearance.

  When all was ready Lancelot drew up his men very soldierly and made thema little speech. He bade them bear in mind that the men who were aboutto attack us were not merely our own enemies, but the King's; and notmerely the King's enemies, but Heaven's, because, being pirates, theysinned against the laws of Heaven as well as the laws of earth. He badethem be sure that they need look for no mercy from such fellows, andthat therefore it behoved every man of them to fight his best, both forhis own sake and for the sake of his companions; but also he conjuredthem, if the victory went with them, not to forget that even thosepirates were made in God's image, albeit vilely perverted, and that itwas our duty as Christians and as soldiers to show them more mercy thanthey would deal out to us. He ended by reminding them that they wereEnglishmen, and that a portion of England's honour and glory dependedupon the way in which they carried themselves that day. To all of whichthey listened attentively, every man standing steady as if on parade.

  When Lancelot had quite finished he pulled off his hat and swung it inthe air, calling upon them to huzza for the King.

  Then there went up from our band such a cheer as did my heart good. Theisland rang for the first time in its life to the huzzaing with whichthose stout fellows greeted the name of the King. Again and yet againtheir voices shook the silence with that manly music, and I, while Ishouted as loud as the rest of them, glowed with pride to think thatcourage and loyalty were the same all the world over. Nothing has evermade me prouder than the courage of that knot of men about to engage ina doubtful conflict in a nameless place with a gang of devils, andgallantly cheering for their King before beginning it.

  Those men in scarlet must have heard that cheer and been not a littleamazed by it. I dare say that by this time Cornelys Jensen had seen usthrough his spy-glass. If so, how he must have cursed at our readinessand at the sight of our stockade!

  It was decided by Lancelot that the first thing to do was to prevent thepirates from landing. If they succeeded by untoward chance in effectinga landing, then all of us who were lucky enough to be left alive wereto retreat with all speed to the stronghold and fasten ourselves inthere. To this end the gate was left open, and in the charge of two men,whose duty it would be to swing it to and bolt it the moment the last ofour men had got inside. A few men were left inside the stockade,including the fugitives, to whom we had given arms. The main body of ourmen were drawn up along the beach, with their muskets ready. Betweenthese and the stockade a few men were thrown out to cover our retreat,if retreat there had to be.

  It was anxious work to watch the advance of those two boats with theirscarlet crews over that tranquil tropic sea. The water was smooth, as ithad been now for days, and their coming was steady and measured. As hadbeen the case ever since we made Fair Island, there was almost no wind,so that their sails were of little service, but their rowing wasexcellent, as the rowing of good seamen always is. And, villains thoughthey were, those underlings of Jensen's were admirable sailors.

  When they were quite near we could recognise the faces of the fellows inthe two boats. Cornelys Jensen was in the first boat, and he was dressedout as sumptuously as any general of our army on a field day. Forthough every man jack of them in the two boats was blazing in scarlet,and though that scarlet cloth was additionally splendid with gold lace,the cloth and the cut of Jensen's coat were finer and better than thoseof the others, and it was adorned and laced with far greater profusion.With his dark face and evil expression he looked, to my mind, in all hisfinery more like my lady's monkey in holiday array than man, pirate, ordevil, although he was indeed all three.

  Every man in those two boats was decked out in scarlet cloth and goldlace--except one. Every man in those two boats was heavily armed withmuskets, pistols and cutlasses--except one. The exception was a man whosat by the side of Jensen. He was clad in black, and his face was verypale, and there was an ugly gash of a raw wound across his forehead. Icould see that his hands were tied behind him, and in the wantonness ofpower Jensen had laid his own bare hanger across the prisoner's knees. Iknew the captive at once. He was the Reverend Mr. Ebrow, who had sostrengthened us by his exhortation during our peril on board the RoyalChristopher.

  When Lancelot saw whom they had with them and the way that thosevillains treated their captive I noted that his face paled, and thatthere came a look into his eyes which I had not often seen there, butwhich meant no good for Jensen and his scum if Lancelot got the top ofthem. For Lancelot was a staunch Churchman and a respecter of ministersof God's Word, and as loyal to his religion as he was to his King.

  There was one face which I missed out of those boatloads of blackguards,a face which I had very confidently expected to find most prominentamongst them. When I missed it in the first boat I made sure that Ishould find it in the second, and probably in the place of command; butit was not there either, very much to my surprise. At that crisis in ouraffairs, at that instant of peril to my life, I was for the moment mostperturbed, or at least most puzzled by the fact that I could not findthis familiar face among the collection of scarlet-coated scoundrels whowere creeping in upon us.

  The face that I was looking for was a face that would have gone wellenough too with a scarlet coat, for it was a scarlet face in itself. Ilooked for that red-haired face which I had seen for the first timeleering at me over Barbara's shoulders on the last day that ever I setfoot within the Skull and Spectacles. I was looking for the face ofJensen's partner in treason--Hatchett.

  By this time our enemies had come to within perhaps ten boats' lengthsof Fair Island. All this time they had kept silence, and all this whilewe had kept silence also. But now, as if Lancelot had made up his mindexactly at what point he would take it upon him to act, we assumed thedefensive. For Lancelot gave the command to make ready and to presentour pieces, and his words came from his lips as clearly and ascomposedly as if he were only directing some drilling on an Englishgreen. In a moment all our muskets were at the shoulder, while Lancelotcalled out to the pira
tes that if they rowed another inch nearer hewould give the order to fire. Our men were steady men, and, though I amsure that more than one of them was longing to empty his piece into theboats, all remained as motionless as if on parade.

  The pirate boats came to a dead stop, and I could see that all the menwho were not busy with the oars were gripping their guns. But Jensenkept them down with a gesture. Then, as the boats were steady, he roseto his feet and waved a white handkerchief in sign that he wished forparley. It was part of the foppishness of the fellow that thehandkerchief was edged with lace, like a woman's or a grandee's.

  Lancelot called out to him to know what he wanted. Jensen shouted backthat he wished to parley with us. Lancelot promptly made answer that heneeded no parley, that he knew him and his crew for traitors, murderers,and pirates, with whom he would have no dealings save by arms.

  At those bold words of his we could see that the fellows in the scarletcoats were furious, and we could guess from their gestures that many ofthem were urging Jensen to attack us at once, thinking, no doubt, thatthey might return our fire and, being able to effect a landing before wecould reload, might cut us to pieces.

  But, whatever their purposes were, Jensen restrained them, and it was amarvel to see the ease with which he ruled those savages. He againaddressed himself to Lancelot, warning him that it would be for hispeace and the peace of those who were with him to come to someunderstanding with the invaders. And at last, having spoken some timewithout shaking Lancelot's resolve, Jensen asked if he would at leastreceive an envoy upon the island.

  Lancelot was about to refuse again when something crossed his mind, andhe shouted back to Jensen to know whom he would send. Jensen, who hadprobably divined his thoughts, clapped his hand upon the shoulder ofthat prisoner of his who sat by his side all in black, and called out toLancelot that he proposed to send the parson as his envoy. To thisLancelot agreed, but I saw that he looked anxious, for it crossed hismind, as he afterwards told me, that this proposition might merely serveas an excuse for the pirate boats to come close, and so give them abetter chance of attacking us. However, the pirates made no suchattempt. It may be that Jensen, who was quick of wit, guessed Lancelot'sthought. The boats remained where they were. We saw the reverendgentleman stand up. One of Jensen's fellows untied his hands, and thenwithout more ado Jensen caught the poor man up by his waistband andstraightway flung him into the sea.

  A cry of anger broke from Lancelot's lips when he saw this, for hefeared that the man might drown. But he was a fair swimmer, and thedistance was not so great, so within a few seconds of his plunge hefound his depth and came wading towards us with the water up to hismiddle, looking as wretched as a wet rat, while all the rogues in theboats laughed loud and long at the figure he cut.

  "LANCELOT RUSHED FORWARD INTO THE WATER."]

  Lancelot rushed forward into the water to give him his hand, and so drewthe poor fellow on to the dry land and amongst us again.

  The first thing he did was to assure us--which was indeed hardlynecessary, considering his cloth and his character--that he was in nowise leagued with the pirates, but simply and solely a prisoner at theirmercy, whose life they had preserved that he might be of use to them asa hostage.

  Lancelot called out to the pirate boats to withdraw further back, whichthey did after he had passed his word that he would confer with themagain in a quarter of an hour, after he had heard what their envoy hadto say. When they had withdrawn out of gunshot, their scarlet suitsglowing like two patches of blood on the water, then Lancelot, stillbidding our line to be on guard against any surprise, withdrew with meand the clergyman and two or three of our friends a little way up thebeach. And there we called upon Mr. Ebrow to tell us all that he had totell.